Process of producing titanium alloys.



STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. HUFFARD, 0F GLEN FERRIS, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR T0 ELECTED METAL- LURGICAL COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPURATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING TITANIUM ALLOYS.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be itknown that I, JOHN B. fiUFFARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glen Ferris, in the county of Fayette and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Producing Titanium Alloys, of

-which the following is a specification.

On account of the high melting point of titanium, it is difficult or impossible to directly alloy it with certain other metals. For example, it is practically impossible to alloy titanium and vanadium, the vanadium volatilizing before the temperature rises to the point .where an alloy forms. It is also impracticable to produce a titanium-vanadium alloy by reduction of mixed oxids of titanium and vanadium, the vanadium oxid and any reduced vanadium volatilizing belowthe reduction-point of titanium. Fur thermore, it is difficult to produce titanium alloys by smelting a mixture of oxids or ores of titanium and the desired alloying metal with carbon or other reducing agent, on account of the strong aflinity of titanium for oxygen and the high temperature requisite for the reduction. Titanium alloys made by this method vary largely in their titanium content.

According to the present process, alloys of titanium and vanadium, molybdenum, uranium and other difiicultly-reducible metals are produced by reacting on an oxid of the alloying metal with a titanium reducing agent, for example metallic titanium, or titaniui'n nitrid, carbid or monoxid, or a mixture or double compound of two or more of these reagents.

In carrying out the process, the titanium reducing agent may be produced by elec- Specificatio'n of Letters Yatent.

trically reducing rutile or other ore of titanium by coke. The product may contain, for example, metallic titanium. and relatively small amounts of nitrogen, carbon and oxygen, the latter combined as monoxid or other lower oxid.

To produce the desired titanium alloy, it is sutiicient to react on an oxid of the alloying metal with an excess of the titanium reducing agent, as by heating a mixture of an oxid of the alloying metal with the divided reducing agent, in an electric or other suitable furnace, whereupon a portion of the titanium is oxidized by the reducible oxid and the remaining portion alloys with the reduced metal. Suitable fluxes may be added to the mixture. Or the oxid to be reduced may be fed into a bath of the molten reducing agent.

I claim:

1. The process of producing titanium alloys, which consists in reacting on an oxid of the alloying metal with an excess of a titanium reducing agent. 1

2. The process of producing titanium alloys, which consists in heating an oxid of the alloying metal with an excess of a titanium reducing agent.

3. The process of producing alloys of titanium with a metal which is volatile, and

whose oxids are volatile, at the temperature of reduction of titanium, which consists in heating an oxid of the alloying metal with an excess of a titanium reducing agent.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN B. HUFFARD.

W'itnesses H. E. KIP, ALFRED R. K0011.

. Patented May 16, 1911. I Application filed November 14, 1910. Serial No. 592,362. 

